Behind the Mask
by KimuraKiria
Summary: One shot! Warning: Turtlecest. "All of them had their little fixes. Escapes, one may say. Raphael – his punching bag. Leonardo – his meditation and training. Michelangelo – video games and comics. But him – his was machines."


**Warning: **This contains turtlecest, and fluffy goodness ^^ Pairings are RxDxR and LxMxL!

**Note: **I wrote this mostly for myself, I know it is not one of the most original ideas out there but I need something light to get my mind off of The Awakening .

**Disclaimer: **I do not own TMNT

**Behind the Mask**

_All of them had their little fixes. Escapes, one may say._

_Raphael – his punching bag._

_Leonardo – his meditation and training._

_Michelangelo – video games and comics._

_But him – his was machines._

Oh did he ever love machines. The way gears would grind against each other, how even the smallest piece would work with others to create something as wonderful as a circuit chip or a control matrix. Even the feel of something metallic against his fingers would help calm him down.

So it was no wonder after a huge argument between him and Raphael that the teenager had escaped into the confines of his lab. Working on – well that was the issue...Don looked at the random piece of metal that he had begun burning circuits and wires unto. It was well – junk!

Tossing the thing into the garbage he sighed glancing at his alarm clock close by. It read two in the morning. He would have tried to get some sleep if Donatello did not know that was going to be impossible.

Leaving his lab he made his way to the kitchen, thinking that maybe coffee would get his mind off of the argument. It was nothing huge – heck, Don barely even remembered what it was about. Something to do with Raphael's shell cycle, he believed, well at least the statistics in his mind decided on that. He wondered if it was such a stupid argument; why was it bothering him so much.

"Sleep troubles?" The voice of his older brother almost made Don jump in panic. "Would you like to talk about it?" Leonardo had asked taking a seat at the table. He was holding a bottle of water, and appeared tired himself.

"Why are you up Leo, you usually go to bed early so you can train early," Don pointed out, he turned to the coffee pot and blinked as his ambers took in the fact a full pot of coffee was already brewed. It look like a few cups were missing – "hey Leo who made coffee?"

"Raphael I believe," Leo answered, "he left the lair not so long ago." His voice was filled with exhaustion.

"You know we are not allowed to go top-side," Don said only to get a quick reply back.

"You try and stop Raphael from storming off Donatello." Leo snapped.

Donatello could not blame his older brother. Raphael was filled with so much rage and anger lately that no one knew how to handle the turtle anymore. It had all started from them being forbidden from going top-side. But it was only because Master Splinter was visiting his friend in Japan. Of course already two weeks and Don could see the change in each of his brothers.

Raphael and his anger, Michelangelo and his constant annoyance, Leo and his over-training of his brothers, and even he was affected – growing ever more distant, to the point he was feeling like a stranger within his own home. Something about being top-side fighting the Foot, Purple Dragons or taking down random criminals seemed to bring his family closer together. Being trapped underground within the same roof only seemed to drive his family further apart. Kind of ironic...

"Look Donnie," Leo said pulling him away from his inner thoughts, "Raph has been gone for hours, I am worried about him. I can't sleep because of that. Your excuse?"

Don blushed, he felt exactly he had so many years ago, being scolded as a child by his older brother, "I keep thinking about our argument earlier today, how silly it was. And yet I can't shake it from my thoughts."

"You shouldn't worry Don, Raph is used to being mad at. He will come back, and you and Raph can start another argument over again." Leo's replied was filled with annoyance.

"Mikey still angry also?" Donnie asked sitting down harbouring his cup of coffee. He did not want to fight with Raphael again; actually he never wanted to fight with his brother ever. But the way Leonardo had replied made Don realized just how much everyone's attitude was affecting their leader.

Leo nodded, "yeah, angry that I keep training him. I mean if Michelangelo concentrated enough he could do so much better..."

"It is his choice Leo. You can't keep forcing him to do things. As much as we treat him like a child we can't keep holding his hand."

"I know that Don!" Leo yelled, slamming his fists against the table. He gave a sigh as he sat back down, "sorry Donnie, lack of fresh air seems to not be just getting to Raphael."

"I notice, Leo you're slipping. Usually you yell at Raph until he goes and pouts in his room – " Both brothers laughed at that. Ambers and golden browns twinkling as they both silently exchange past memories between each other.

"You are going to look for him Donnie?" Leo asked as Don had gotten up.

A smile spread on his face, "yeah, I don't like keeping arguments festering this long, and after all if I look for him, you can rest a bit easier. Maybe try and think of a way to make up with Mikey – it is annoying not watching you two secretly exchanging love-filled expressions or sneaking kisses...I mean I thought that was annoying but you two ignoring each other is worse..."

"When did you know?" Leo muttered, face reddening.

Don raised one eye at his brother, "please Leo, you're talking about me here. The turtle of observation! You can't hide anything from me big brother." He said with a wink, savouring the blush on his brother's face before leaving the kitchen.

Finding Raphael was not very hard. Considering the other turtle did grab his shell-cell and Donnie happened to have his nifty shell-cell tracker. Smirking he jumped down in the alleyway, "Raph!" He called looking for any sign of a shadow like figure that could be the form of a turtle.

His foot hit something on the ground, bending down Donnie blinked as his eyes widen. It was a busted shell-cell Raphael's to be exact. Don then bend down studying the ground. There were signs of an obvious scrap, traces of blood, on the walls cuts made from his brother's sais and various other weapons. Droplets of blood led away from the scene. Don followed making sure to keep to the shadows.

As he looked Don made sure to keep his panic hidden, buried deep away, he would panic when the time asked for it. At this moment it was top priority to find his brother. Just as he thought the trail ran cold and he pulled his shell-cell out to call Leo – a hand grabbed his wrist. Don went to yelp but another hand covered his mouth.

"Geez Don, it's me," Raph grumbled. Don calmed down as Raphael pulled his hand away. "Don't call Leo."

Putting his shell-cell away Donnie turned around, "give me one reason why I shouldn't..." he gasped as he'd notice his brother, "Raph! Look at you!"

Donnie's ambers surveyed the dark green skinned turtle before him. Cuts decorated his body, especially along his arms as if he had used them as shields. There were bruises covering him and a cut beside his eye, which explained why his brother was not currently wearing his ninja mask. He watched as Raphael took a seat on a garbage can on its side, "I know it looks bad."

"Looks? That is an understatement!" Don said walking up grabbing one of Raph's arms, "when did you decide that your arms would make a good shield?"

"When I was cornered and trying to protect my head!" Raph snapped and looked away, "anyways they are just mere flesh wounds."

"We need to get you back to the liar, come on..." Don said a command in his tone as he grabbed his brother's arm.

Pulling his arm away Raph glared at Donnie, "no." He said and stubbornly sat back down. "I don't want anyone to see."

Don paused, about to give Raph a reason why he should be going with him. But the way Raphael sat down, shoulders slumped, head lowered, elbows hanging loosely off his knees..."so instead of admitting defeat you would have let yourself bleed all over the place?"

"No, I was going to bandage myself eventually," Raph grumbled, not looking Don directly in the eyes.

A sigh came from the olive-green turtle as he kneeled in front of Raph, dropping the bag he always had with him – Don would never leave the liar without it – and pulling out bandages and a first aid kit. "Yeah eventually..." Don muttered as he grabbed the disinfectant.

"Oh! Hell no!" Raph yelled standing up to run, but was tackled to the ground by Donnie. Straddling his brother, Don smirked down at Raphael, "seriously you think I am going to let you get away that easily."

"You know I hate that stuff!"

"Well if you didn't run around with open cuts like an idiot then I wouldn't have to use it," Don said, pouring some on a cloth and pinning Raph's arm against his chest, he rubbed the cloth against his brother's arm.

"Ow!" Raph yelled and glared up at his brother.

"Stop being a baby Raphael," Don muttered and shook his head. He continued cleaning his brother's wounds, ignoring the protests and the squirming turtle underneath him. Once he finally had the last wound clean Don climbed off his brother, offering a hand to help him up. Raph only hit the hand away and got up himself. Donnie forced him to sit back down on the garbage can as he went to bandage the wounds.

There was silence, or at least as quiet as the busy streets of New York City could get. Don was concentrating on treating his brother and Raphael was too busy looking up at the sky. "I didn't get in a fight on purpose." Raph said breaking that silence.

"Really?" Don asked, surprised.

"What! You think I go around and find fights on purpose?" Don gave Raphael a look, one eye raised. "Okay well this time I didn't!" He paused, "I was jumped, cornered by the Foot."

"When we get back home we should warn the others that Karai has broken our agreement then," Don said lightly finishing the last of the wounds. He took a seat beside Raphael. "You know Raph you could have called."

"Did you see my shell-cell? It was broken."

"Yeah but knowing you, you did not call at first. You really did think you could take them all on your own didn't you?" Don pointed out.

"No," Raphael grumbled and looked down at his hands.

"Then what is it Raph? You should know you don't need to prove anything to us, we know you're tough."

"It is not that Donnie..." Raphael started to fidget on the spot. "You know what –I think I am ready to go home now."

As Raph went to stand up an arm grabbed his wrist, "oh no Raph, you're not walking away from me after that remark. What is it? What were you thinking when you decided to take them on your own?"

Raphael's shell was facing Don, his shoulders shaking caused Donnie to let go of his brother's wrist, "I was...I didn't want any of you to get hurt."

"Face me Raph," Don said. As his brother turned around Donnie's ambers widen. When did Raphael's golden eyes get so filled with emotion? When did they make him so weak in the knees? It was beginning to dawn on Donnie that he was seeing a different side of his brother. And something about this side of Raphael made his heart flutter.

Slowly his mind started to awaken as if he was noticing things he had never notice before. How much arguing with Raphael bug him, how much Raph staring at Leo annoyed him, or Raph playing around with Mikey. Why he was always there to help Raphael when he needed someone. Why he enjoyed when Raph would offer to help him with his machines. Heck, Don even enjoyed the hot-head destroying his motorcycles if it meant they would work together on fixing it, even the annoyance of Mikey and Leo's secret relationship and why it bothered him so much. It was all becoming as clear as the sky on a sunny cloudless day.

"Because, I did not want you to get hurt Donnie," Raphael said closing the distance between them. Don was in shock, secretly beating himself for being so clueless on his own damn emotions. Before he even realized it Raphael had pulled him in his arms, pressing a shy kiss to his beak. "I'm sorry," Raph said pulling away, "I didn't mean...I mean...something...and..."

"Shh," Donnie said finding his voice coming back to him, as he pulled Raphael back against him. "You don't need to explain..." Donnie whispered. He pressed his beak to Raphael, drinking him in, exploring every inch of his brother.

The two stood under the light of the moon, exchanging their words of love and endearment through the gentle loving kisses they gave each other. Donnie was the one that had pulled back, "let's go home." Raphael nodded, letting his brother lead him back down into the sewers.

_Yes. All of them had their fixes. Escapes, one may say._

_Michelangelo – his ever burning need to make Leo prove his love for him._

Don watched Leo giving Mikey a gift. The two did not notice that Raph or Don was back as Mikey's eyes widen at the present, he dived on Leo giving him feather-light kisses on the cheeks.

_Leonardo – his desire to show Mikey how much he loves him._

As Raphael came forward, Leo glared and begun giving his brother a speech about fighting and getting injured.

_Raphael – his need to protect those he holds dear to his heart._

_But him –_

Donnie moved forward, giving Raphael a deep passionate kiss in front of everyone.

_His fix – Raphael._

_And also surprising the hell out of his family._

_**Fin!**  
_


End file.
